Matthew Halls, conductor

Kristian Bezuidenhout, piano

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Overture to the opera Don Giovanni KV527

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto no. 24 in C minor KV491

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony no. 40 in G minor KV550

Out of Mozart’s 41 numbered Symphonies, only two are in a minor key. Similarly, only two of his 27 Piano Concertos are in a minor key. While the vast majority of his music is in a major key, his rare minor-key works embody the full range of human disappointment, sorrow and consolation. The orchestral introduction to the opera Don Giovanni depicts both the seducer’s lust for life and his ultimate demise.

The melancholy Piano Concerto in C minor was written in one of the happiest times in Mozart’s life and speaks more to his empathy than to personal adversities. Similarly, Symphony no. 40 should not be seen as a harbinger of the composer’s untimely death but rather as a sympathetic commentary on human sorrows in general. These heartfelt essays are presented by Matthew Halls, conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic, and fortepiano virtuoso Kristian Bezuidenhout, whom we met in the autumn.

Pre-concert talk 18:10-18:30.

Tapiola Sinfonietta 2025-2026